Oil company BP is considering a so-called "static kill" to seal off its damaged Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, even as plans go forward to complete a relief well nearby. The plan would have to be approved by U.S. government officials who are working closely with BP engineers at the site.
著名石油公司BP正在考虑一种叫作“静态封杀”的方法来封堵墨西哥湾受损的马孔多油井，尽管他们在附近完成一个减压井的计划不变。这个计划将要得到在现场和BP工程师密切合作的美国政府官员的许可。
The static kill would consist of an operation to pump mud into the damaged well through the cap that was successfully placed over it last week. The mud would overcome the flow of oil and gradually reduce the pressure so that the well could be sealed from above.
“静态封杀”的程序包括通过上星期成功安放的堵油罩将泥浆泵入受损油井。泥浆会封堵泄漏的石油逐渐降低油压，从上方封闭这口油井。
In a conference call with reporters, BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells explained.
在与记者的电话会议上，BP高级副总裁肯特.维尔斯对这个工程进行了解释。
"On the static kill we will actually start pumping at very low rates and just marginal pressure above what it is currently at," said Wells. "After we get some mud in the hole, assuming everything goes according to plan, the pressure at the well head actually starts to go down, so you very quickly start to see benefits."
他说：“在实际采用静态封杀技术时，我们开始会用泵以很低的速度输送，用比目前压力稍大的压力。我们在孔中填上一些泥浆后，如果一切都符合计划的安排，井口的压力会开始减弱，很快就可以开始看到成果。”
The advantage of the static kill is that it would push the flow of oil back down into the reservoir below the ocean floor and then seal it with cement. The procedure would effectively choke off the lines and openings of the old blowout preventer that failed to shut off the flow of oil after the explosion on the drilling rig in April. The static kill is similar to the unsuccessful top kill that BP tried in May. Company engineers think that a reduction in oil flow pressure now favors this approach.
静态封杀的优点是可以将泄漏的石油用压力推回海底结构之下的天然蓄油仓，然后用水泥封堵。这个过程可以有效地封闭原有防喷器的管线和开口，这些部位在水上钻台四月发生爆炸后都无法止住原油从海底涌出。静态封杀技术和5月BP不成功的顶部封杀措施相似。公司工程人员认为，降低漏油压力最好使用这种方法。
Kent Wells says BP is continuing with its plan to intersect with the underground well shaft by next week and that one of two relief wells being drilled is now within a few meters of that intersection 4,200 meters below the seabed. Mud and cement would also be used in this procedure to seel the well below the seabed. Wells said the tandem approach of the static kill and relief well should permanently seal the well by the middle of August, assuming U.S. officials approve the plan. But, he said, company engineers are moving very slowly with what he called an abundance of caution so as not to have any unintended consequences.
肯特.维尔斯说，BP公司下星期将继续实行地下油井相交计划。两口减压井中正在钻探的一口井距离二者在海床下4200米处的接点只有几米远了。泥浆和水泥在这个过程中将得到利用，以便封堵海床下面的油井。维尔斯说，如果美国官员同意这个计划，静态封杀和减压井这种串联方式在8月中旬应该会永久性地将油井封闭。但是他说，公司工程人员正以非常谨慎的态度缓缓推进有关进程，以免出现不想得到的结果。
Wells said BP is continuing to test the pressure of the well daily and is using seismic tests to make sure there are no leaks from the seabed.
维尔斯说，BP公司还在每天继续测试油井压力，并利用地震试验来保证海床不发生泄漏。
"We are looking to see if we see any signs of oil and gas leaking out and, to this point, of all the lines we have run and all the analysis we have done, we have yet to see any anomalies that would indicate we have oil or gas leaking out of the Macondo well, i.e. that we do not have integrity of the well," he said.
他说：“我们正在观察是否有任何漏油或漏气的征兆，到目前为止，我们放置的所有管线和我们做的所有分析都显示，我们还没有看到任何显示油气从马孔多井中泄漏出来的异常现象，就是说我们没有井融问题。”
Over the weekend, scientists monitoring the seabed near the damaged well found seepage in an area around three kilometers away, but the U.S. government's point man on the disaster, former Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, says the leaks are not consequential and probably are associated with another abandoned well in the same area. There are also natural seepages of oil from the Gulf seabed that are totally unrelated to oil and gas exploration and production activity.
在刚刚过去的周末，监测泄露油气的海底油井的科学家们发现，在漏油油井三公里远的海底某处，又有新的油气有渗透出来的现象。但是，美国政府负责处理这次BP漏油事件的官员、前海岸警备队将军艾伦说，这次新发现的漏油迹象，同前一段漏油油井没有关系，很有可能同那片海域另外一个废弃油井有关。
Even if all goes according to plan and the well is permanently sealed off sometime next month, clean-up operations will continue for some time to come. Skimmers are being used on ships at the site of the oil slick in an attempt to clean oil off the water surface, while crews in some coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are trying to clean befouled beaches and marshes. The ecological damage from the spill could take years to overcome and environmental experts say some sensitive areas may never completely recover. |